Koh Lipe to Kuala Lumpur

There are three stages to the journey by train from Koh Lipe to Kuala Lumpur. The first stage is to travel from Koh Lipe to Hat Yai by speedboat and bus. The second stage is to travel on a Thai train service as far as Padang Besar in Malaysia. The third stage is to travel on Malaysian train service to Kuala Lumpur.

Stage 1: Koh Lipe to Hat Yai Train Station

The first stage of the journey by train from Koh Lipe to Kuala Lumpur is to take one of the joint speedboat and bus services travelling directly from Koh Lipe to Hat Yai Railway Station. Please note that the departure and arrival times given below are in Thai time.

• Buy tickets from Koh Lipe to Hat Yai Railway Station.

Stage 2: Hat Yai to Padang Besar

The second stage of the journey by train from Koh Lipe to Kuala Lumpur is to take a Thailand train service from Hat Yai Railway Station to Padang Besar in Malaysia. Please note that the departure times given below are in Thai time, and arrival times are in Malaysian time, which is 1 hour ahead of Thailand.

• Tickets for train services from Hat Yai to Padang Besar need to be purchased on the day of travel from the ticket office in the train station.

Stage 3: Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur

The third and final stage of the journey by train from Koh Lipe to Kuala Lumpur is to take a Malaysian train service from Padang Besar in Kuala Lumpur. Please note that the departure and arrival times given below are in Malaysian time.

• Buy tickets from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur.

Location of Koh Lipe Ferry Pier

From October to May joint speed boat and bus services to Hat Yai Railway Station depart from Pattaya Beach in Koh Lipe.

From June to September joint speed boat and bus services to Hat Yai Railway Station depart from Sunrise Beach in Koh Lipe.

Location of Hat Yai Railway Station

Read more about Hat Yai Railway Station.

Location of Padang Besar Railway Station

Read more about Padang Besar Railway Station.

Location of Kuala Lumpur Railway Station

Read more about KL Sentral Station, which is the main train terminus in Kuala Lumpur.

About Train Travel to Kuala Lumpur

Depending on which train and connecting speedboat services you take, the journey by train from Koh Lipe to Kuala Lumpur can be completed in 12 hours.

Consider an Overnight Stay in Hat Yai

Planning and advance booking, however, are required in order to complete the journey in a single day. Alternatively, if you have the time you can take a more relaxed approach to completing the journey and stay overnight in Hat Yai. Breaking up the journey with an overnight stay in Hat Yai also means a much earlier arrival time in Kuala Lumpur.

Koh Lipe to Hat Yai

The first stage of the journey by train from Koh Lipe to Kuala Lumpur, which is by shared speedboat and bus service to Hat Yai, is scheduled to take from 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes depending upon which service you take.

The speedboat section of the journey, from Koh Lipe to Pak Bara Pier, takes around 1 hour 30 minutes although some companies schedule slightly less time to complete the sea crossing. From Pak Bara Pier it’s a 121 km long journey by road to Hat Yai Railway Station that takes around 2 hours.

Hat Yai to Padang Besar

The second stage of the journey by train from Koh Lipe to Kuala Lumpur, which is by Thai train service from Hat Yai Junction Railway Station to Padang Besar Railway Station in Malaysia, is scheduled to take 45 minutes.

Train tickets for this short journey are not available for purchase in advance. The first train of the day (Train #45) is a Special Express service originating in Bangkok and there’s no guarantee that seats on this service will be available because of the possibility that the train has been fully booked by passengers travelling longer distances, from Bangkok or Hua Hin for example. The next two daily train services (Train #947 and Train #949) are Ordinary train services for which there is advance booking available for journeys of any length, and tickets will therefore be available for purchase on the day of travel.

Passport Control

On arrival at Padang Besar Railway Station all passengers travelling by train from Thailand need to visit the immigration centre located on the ground floor of the railway station:

• First visit the Thailand immigration desk to complete immigration procedures for exiting Thailand.
• Second visit the Malaysian immigration desk to complete immigration procedures for entering Malaysia.

Passengers who fail who complete both sets of immigration procedures, either intentionally or accidentally, may experience difficulties when they later attempt to exit Malaysia.

Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur

The third and final stage of the journey by train from Koh Lipe to Kuala Lumpur, which is by Malaysian train service from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur, is scheduled to take from 4 hours 50 minutes to 5 hours 39 minutes depending upon which service you take.

Modern and relatively fast electric train services operate on the Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur route and the speed and standard of these train services is similar to intercity services in Western Europe, but not currently as fast as high speed train services such as the Shinkansen train services in Japan or TGV train services in France.

Depending on the train service you take, there are up to 3 different seat types available on trains from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur:

• Premier Seat
• Business Seat
• Second Class Seat

Booking in advance is generally required on train services in Malaysia, particularly at weekends and during public holiday periods.

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